I believe it would be a good idea to do so as soon as possible when you get pulled over, preferably before the officer gets out of his car.

I would definitely not do this if the officer was already out of his car and walking toward mine.

And you're not dead yet?

My procedure:

Wave so the officer knows you see him.

Brake gently: the cop is right behind you. Don't piss him off by making him stand his cruiser on its front bumper.

Pull off the road and onto the shoulder as far as possible. Don't pull into the median unless the cop tells you to via loudspeaker.

If you can, angle your car so the back end sits towards the road a tiny bit.

Turn your hazzard lights on.

Kill the engine.

Set the parking brake.

Turn on your car's interior lights.

Roll driver's side window all the way down. If you have powered windows, roll all your windows down.

Tell all passengers to put their hands in their laps and sit quietly without unecessary movement. Also tell them not to speak unless the officer directly asks them a question.

Put your wrists in contact with the top of the steering wheel, hands open.

If you have a weapon anywhere in the passenger compartment, when the cop tells you to move, the first words should be very politely informing the officer where the weapon is and you need more instructions.

When you need to move, inform the officer why. eg: "My registration is in /location/. I'll get it now." If you need to get out of the car to get to something, tell the officer why and ask for explicit permission to open the door.

move smoothly and deliberately.

There's stuff I do to increase the chances the officer might let me slide on a ticket, but the above is what I do to decrease the chances I'll suddenly develop an allergic reaction and break out in bullet wounds.

Last edited by Tom Kagan; 12/21/2011 1:51pm at .

Calm down, it's only ones and zeros.

"Your calm and professional manner of response is really draining all the fun out of this. Can you reply more like Dr. Fagbot or something? Call me some names, mention some sand in my vagina or something of the sort. You can't expect me to come up with reasonable arguments man!" -- MaverickZ

Some good stuff here. stuff I have never even considered, I am 41 been driving consistently since I was 17 and I have never ever been pulled over! thanks for the info

P

Being white helps a lot.

Calm down, it's only ones and zeros.

"Your calm and professional manner of response is really draining all the fun out of this. Can you reply more like Dr. Fagbot or something? Call me some names, mention some sand in my vagina or something of the sort. You can't expect me to come up with reasonable arguments man!" -- MaverickZ

I'll bet seeing a gun in the front seat is perceived differently in rural Texas compared to urban California. Either way, it doesn't seem like a great idea to be quickly fiddling with a firearm just as a cop pulls you over.

2. I believe it was Vorpal or one of our other LEO's that mentioned they do this when they get pulled over. I've also had an officer I know personally mentions he does the same thing.

I suppose putting your shield right there with the weapon can ease the paranoia of the officer walking up and seeing it. Otherwise, I don't see how a weapon in plain view and now within easy reach - even unloaded (did they clear the chamber?) - would calm his nerves.

Calm down, it's only ones and zeros.

"Your calm and professional manner of response is really draining all the fun out of this. Can you reply more like Dr. Fagbot or something? Call me some names, mention some sand in my vagina or something of the sort. You can't expect me to come up with reasonable arguments man!" -- MaverickZ

His heart was visible, and the dismal sack that maketh excrement of what is eaten.

Join Date

Mar 2006

Posts

6,855

Posted On:12/21/2011 2:29pm

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I'm not a LEO. However I always carry. Often I'll have more than one loaded weapon in my vehicle. One in the console and one on my person. I've been pulled over from time to time.

I would never unload a pistol during a traffic stop. If the cop is out of his car already, that's a good way to get shot. If he's not, it's still a good way to put him on edge by moving around fiddling with something.

I'm a hands on the steering wheel guy. No other movement until the cop tells me and when I do move, I do it slowly and I make sure he knows what I'm about to do.

Before I had a concealed carry permit I would remove the pistol from the console and place it on the passenger seat or on the dash in plain view before the vehicle was even stopped. It was always in a holster but I didn't unload it. I would always notify the cop of the pistol before I moved my hands off the wheel. Now I announce that I have a concealed weapon and permit as soon as the officer approaches in accordance with state law.

Also, I have found that most cops are accustomed to encountering people carrying concealed these days. However, they don't seem to be as accustomed to people who have a pistol openly displayed in their vehicle. I had one cop stumble around with that at a traffic stop. He seemed puzzled that I had a loaded pistol on the passenger seat. He asked me for my permit. I said "What permit? It's not concealed." He stumbled around and mumbled something I didn't understand and let me go on my way.